1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic warfare simulation, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for simulating a localized jamming signal in a victim communications system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic warfare jamming equipment is well known in the prior art. The most common communications electronic warfare jamming equipment configuration includes an apparatus for generating and transmitting a jamming signal characterized by a high powered radio frequency waveform that when received by a victim communication system results in interfering noise and disturbance. The jamming signal results in varying levels of disruption of the normal capability of the victim communications system. The jamming signal may render intended communications received by the victim communications system unintelligible or may merely cause distracting interference. Nonetheless, the jamming signal affects the optimal performance of the victim communications system.
Electronic warfare is an integral component of the warfighting doctrine of U.S. Armed Forces, as it for the armed forces of most other nations. Military communications equipment is suspectable to electronic jamming to varying degrees. Accordingly, military personnel who operate and rely upon communications equipment must be trained to react when their communications equipment is jammed. Thus, a need exists for electronic warfare equipment that will simulate the effects of enemy jamming equipment.
Several devices exist in the prior art that can be used to simulate electronic jamming signals, however, all have distinct disadvantages. The technique most frequently used is simply to take the friendly force's electronic warfare jamming equipment, which is intended to jam enemy communications systems, and turn that jamming equipment against its own communications systems. However, this has several significant disadvantages.
First, these electronic jammers are not address directable so as to interfere only with a specific intended victim communications system, but will often jam other communication systems of friendly forces within the vicinity operating on like frequencies. Second, because these jammers operate on frequencies besides the victim communications systems, there is a need to obtain additional frequency clearances before training may commence. Third, these jammers frequently operate on frequencies that cause interference with electronic devices other than the intended victim communications systems. Thus, often training must be conducted in remote locations or late at night to reduce the probability of interference with other electronic systems. Fourth, these jammers can be expensive to operate and maintain because they operate at high power outputs and are frequently large and unwieldy.
There exists a need for an electronic warfare jamming simulator that overcomes the above stated disadvantages. There is especially a great need in a training scenario in which the training umpire desires to jam only specific friendly forces communications systems operating on a common communications network. For example, soldiers may be conducting warfighting field exercises in a localized geographic area. The forces may be communicating with each other over a communication network operating on a common frequency. There may be numerous individual communications systems operating on the network. The training umpire may desire to jam only one communications system on the network or several, but not all of the communications systems. Therefore, the training umpire needs the flexibility to identify the specific communications systems he wants to jam and the duration that each communications system will be jammed.
One recent addition to the prior art known as the Covert Remote Electronic Warfare Simulator (CREWS) overcomes some of the previously identified disadvantages, but not all of them. The CREWS eliminates the need to transmit a high power jamming waveform because the CREWS instead uses a transmitted low powered, continuous wave control signal to control the level of a locally generated jamming signal at the location of the victim communications system which is then injected into the victim communications system. The CREWS also includes apparatus for the storage, subsequent retrieval and replay of resulting time tagged signals for data collection and detailed analysis in a laboratory setting. While the CREWS overcomes some of the prior art problems including large size, high power outputs, and some unintentional interference with other RF systems not undergoing testing, the CREWS does not overcome all of the prior art shortcomings. More important, the CREWS is not suitable for the training scenario discussed above for which the present invention is to be used. The CREWS is not a low cost, address directable training jammer system, but rather is a more expensive, complex training and testing jammer, not suitable for the described training scenario.
Therefore, a need exists for a low cost training jammer method and apparatus which overcomes all of the shortcomings identified above. The present invention satisfies this need.